Stamford psychotherapist in trouble with the law again

Published 12:26 am, Saturday, May 22, 2010

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John Gagnon

John Gagnon

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Stamford psychotherapist in trouble with the law again

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STAMFORD -- A Stamford psychotherapist with a bizarre arrest record -- including charges in 2004 for treating patients while dressed as a U.S. Army general -- was arrested at his home Thursday on firearms possession charges.

John H. Gagnon, 63, of Oaklawn Avenue, was arrested Thursday on a warrant charging him with criminal possession of a handgun by a felon. He posted $100,000 bond and is to return to court June 3 for arraignment.

Gagnon, who is on probation from a 2008 marijuana possession conviction, may also be charged with violating probation. Also, in 1987, he was convicted of criminal impersonation and third-degree sexual assault for grabbing the breasts of a woman he pulled over while pretending to be a cop. He is permanently listed on the state Sex Offender Registry.

He may now also be the subject of a "Dateline" television expose about the psychotherapy business.

On May 10, police responding to a complaint from one of Gagnon's patients went to his home and spotted a car in the driveway, they said. The vehicle was equipped with antennas, scanners and radios and looked like a government vehicle, according to Gagnon's three-page arrest warrant affidavit. Unable to find Gagnon at the house, Officer Donald Holden looked in the garage window and spied several large knives on one of the walls.

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The Office of Adult Probation was notified, and three days later, Adult Probation Supervisor Greg Sperling called police to report that while conducting a home visit, they saw a large number of swords, knives and what appeared to be real firearms, the affidavit said.

Responding officers determined most of the firearms shoot small plastic pellets at a low velocity, police said.

Two guns, however, were found to be real. The .44-caliber black powder guns were seized, and a warrant for Gagnon's arrest was signed May 18.

Gagnon's defense attorney, Stephan Seeger, said the two guns were antique replicas that, to his knowledge, have never been fired.

"My client admired the guns, and he himself has been involved in Civil War re-enactment proceedings, and that is his connection to the guns," Seeger said.

Seeger said Gagnon's 1987 conviction may have police focused on his client.

That year, Gagnon was arrested on charges he wore a silver badge and drove a car that appeared to be an unmarked police car outfitted with a red flashing light. He pulled a woman with an expired temporary registration over in Brookfield and told her he would let her go if the two had sex, according to the appellate court decision that upheld his convictions. Gagnon then grabbed the woman's breasts, the documents said.

The woman put her car in gear and sped off, the decision said.

Soon after this incident, a Danbury police lieutenant looking at a composite sketch identified Gagnon as the suspect. The lieutenant knew him because Gagnon, at the time, was a Danbury psychotherapist who volunteered with the department's Hostage Negotiation Unit and also was hired as a consultant, the appellate decision said.

Seeger said the two guns were prominently displayed on a coffee table in the house, so anyone, including Gagnon's patients, could see them. He also said he is worried the police visit is related to the "Dateline" television program's interest in his client.

He said that two weeks ago, shortly before police showed up, a man went to Gagnon and posed as a patient, only to return with a "Dateline" camera crew.

"We are looking into whether there is a correlation between the 'Dateline' visit and the police visit to the house," Seeger said, adding that he has called "Dateline" lawyers to ensure that his client's civil rights have not been violated.

A "Dateline" reporter working on the story could not immediately be reached for comment Friday night.

Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin said that in the most recent incident, a patient called police to complain because Gagnon asked the person extremely odd and very personal questions.

Seeger said his client is not a danger and should not be prosecuted by police or anyone else.

In 2004, another patient made a police complaint about Gagnon because he was wearing a general's uniform while giving therapy, the patient said.

Gagnon, who was not in the Army or a general, was charged with unauthorized use of a uniform and, a year later, pleaded no contest to the charge.

The most recent patient to complain told police that Gagnon wore a firearm during counseling sessions, "but the complainant thought nothing of it at the time because Gagnon had told him he worked for the FBI," the police report said.

The patient also said Gagnon would fire a gun loaded with blanks into the air during karate classes offered by the psychotherapist.

Summing up those statements and Gagnon's latest arrest, Conklin said, "This is the same kind of behavior we have seen from this individual over the years."

Staff writer John Nickerson can be reached at john.nickerson@scni.com or 203-964-2320.